My grandmother had HD, could my son have it?

Q. My grandmother died from huntingtons, i am wondering could i have it or could my kids have it ? my son started getting ticks and eye blinking at about 7 he is now 17 and has many ticks and makes noises im worried he has it.

Crystal, Young Adult, USA

A. Dear Crystal

Thanks for the email.

Do you know if your parent (the one who is the child of the affected grandparent) shows any signs of HD or has had a test? This would be pretty important information when trying to work out the risk to you or your child.

If you don’t know that information then your risk of carrying the gene is 25% and your son’s risk is around 12%.

Your son’s condition does not sound very like Huntington disease and a bit more like a tic disorder.

I hope that is helpful

Best wishes

Hugh Rickards